THE BEST SONGS OF SAHIR LUDHIANVI – THE ‘MAGICIAN’ LYRICIST AND POET – PART I

I am fond of calling myself a lyrical man; words of the songs are often the most important part of the songs for me. Indeed, on the Facebook I have a page titled ‘Lyrical’ to honour and pay tribute to various lyricists. I have several (almost a dozen) posts on my blog on my favourite lyricist and poet Shakeel Badayuni. The following posts about Sahir Ludhianvi have been reconstructed from the same page. Sahir was given the moniker of being the People’s Poet. As we go along, you would know why.

I started the series to bring home the point that whilst we genuinely love everything that Shakeel wrote, many other contemporary poets and lyricists were also good and popular.

Today is the beginning of a new month and year and an auspicious day to start with out fourth lyricist: Sahir Ludhianvi.

Sahir was born as Abdul Hayee on 8th March 1921. Sahir means ‘Wakeful’ or ‘Magician’ and this poet from Karimpura, Ludhiana actually awakened us with his poetry as a magician.

His mother Sardar Begum suffered at the hands of his father who eventually remarried. Some of Sahir’s poetry reflects that angst about the treatment of women. Sahir gained fame in his college (Khalsa College, Ludhiana) reading out his poems and giving his fiery speeches.

Sahir didn’t marry though he was romantically inclined to Amrita Pritam and later to the singer Sudha Malhotra.

Sahir’s style of poetry was different from Shakeel’s. Indeed, Shakeel was exclusively a poet of Love whereas almost all other poets of that era, including Sahir, wrote about the social conditions prevalent in the country including poverty.

Many of his fans consider Sahir Ludhianvi as the greatest poet and lyricist of that era.

These do not include me though I was brought up in a place close to Sahir’s. As I told you a favourite is not someone like a horse who wins all races for you. A favourite is the one who comes closest to your own emotions and moods. Shakeel Badayuni does that for me.

Sahir received Filmfare awards for Best Lyricist twice: once for the Taj Mahal song: Jo vaada kiya wo nibhaana padhega; and once for the title song of Yash Chopra’s Kabhie Kabhie, which some feel was tailored on his own biography in part.

Song #01
Aurat ne janam diya mardon ko, mardon ne use bazaar diya….

Lets take a very expressive song from his 1958 BR Chopra movie Sadhana that starred Vyjayanthimala as a prostitute in love with a professor Sunil Dutt.

The film was about rehabilitation of prostitutes and stirred the conscience of the society towards them.

My maternal grandparents, after moving from Lahore, when the partition between India and Pakistan took place in Aug 1947, moved to a village halfway between Ludhiana and Nawanshahr. Sahir, did the opposite of that before partition. He studied in Ludhiana in the Khalsa High School and later in the government college. However, in 1943, at the age of 22 years, he moved to Lahore.

It was in Lahore that he published his first poetry compilation called Talkhiyan (Bitterness) in 1945. Just like most Urdu poets of that era, he became a member of Progressive Writers Association.

His style of doing things got him ample notoreity. When he was in the college in Ludhiana, he was expelled for having entered the Common Room for girls. I remember this anecdote quite well. He was fined all of Rupees Five (a huge sum at that time). He produced a ten rupees note from his kurta pocket. The principal wanted to give him the balance but he insisted that the principal keep the change just in case he, Sahir, went to the Girl’s Common Room again.

Similarly, in Pakistan, his fiery poetry, after independence, got him a warrant of arrest issued by the Pakistani government for promoting communism.

In 1949, therefore, he fled Lahore and came to India. In any case, he was too secular to be kept in Muslim Pakistan.

Soon he moved to Bombay to try his hand at writing lyrics for Hindi films. In two decades, he was so successful that he built a bungalow in Bombay called Parchhayiyan (Shadows).

In 1949 itself he wrote songs for Azadi Ki Raah Par, the movie that had Shyamlal Prashad Gupta’s famous poem converted into a song: Jhanda ooncha rahe hamaara; which I have given you on my blog in ‘The Best Azaadi (Independence) Poems’ ever written. However, Sahir’s songs including Badal rahi hai zindagi went unnoticed.

However, in 1951 movie Naujawaan for which SD Burman composed the songs, Sahir was suddenly noticed. This started a great partnership together especially for Guru Dutt movies starting with the 1951 movie Baazi.

Naujawaan was a Mahesh Kaul movie and starred Nalini Jayawant and Premnath in lead roles.

Guru Dutt’s 1951 movie Baazi was a major success for Sahir Ludhianvi, within two years of joining the Hindi films. The movie starred Dev Anand and Geeta Bali.

I saw Baazi on my computer last to last year. It is a crime thriller. Between Guru Dutt and Dev Anand, as with other producers and directors they made any number of these movies with almost similar stories. Before the formula films shifted to hero being in love with a smuggler’s daughter, these were the staple fare from Hindi films: Howrah Bridge, China Town, Aar Paar and many more.

I am sorry for having taken a break for the last two days; but, I assure you it was because of circumstances beyond my control.

On the First of January 2017, with the onset of a brand new year, we had started with one of the greatest poets and lyricists of our times: Sahir Ludhianvi, the moniker Sahir meaning ‘Wakeful’ or ‘Magician’.

After his first movie, the 1949 movie Azadi Ki Raah Par, for which he wrote the lyrics of songs, it was only in his second movie, the 1951 movie Navjawan, wherein he paired with SD Burman, that he was noticed. In the very next movie: the 1951 Guru Dutt movie Baazi, he excelled. Thus began a very enduring and adorable pairing with the music Director SD Burman that lasted until their 1957 movie Pyaasa.

I have given you a song from Baazi: Dekh ke akeli mujhe barkha sataaye, sung by Geeta Dutt and I had intimated that we shall be taking up another two songs.

Here is the first of them. This too has been sung by Geeta Dutt and picturised on another Geeta: Geeta Bali.

That brings us to the last promised song from the 1951 movie Baazi, a Dev Anand (Navketan) production directed by Guru Dutt. The movie starred Dev Anand and Geeta Bali and also Dev Anand’s would-be-wife Kalpana Kartik.

This last song has also been sung by Geeta Dutt and happens to be one of my favourites. By now, even you know that I have a soft corner for the Raag (Dhun) Pahadi and this has been composed by SD Burman in that raag, Tal Dadra.

Guess what? Since I mentioned it in the last two songs, it would be easy to guess that in his next movie, the 1952 movie Lal Kunwar, he did a hat-trick, in that he paired again with SD Burman.

The movie was directed by Ravinder Dave and was on the life of Imtiaz Mahal (meaning “distinguished one of the palace”) better known by her birth name Lal Kunwar. She was the Empress of the Mughal Emperor Jahandar Shah.

Imtiaz Mahal (Pic courtesy: Wikipedia)

She was a former dancing girl who exercised supreme influence over the Emperor, encouraged frivolity and pleasure which eventually led to his ignominious downfall.

Ladies and gentlemen, whilst Sahir Ludhianvi paired with SD Burman to give us some of the most enchanting (especially night and moon songs) songs in Hindi movies, I have mentioned to you several times now that SD Burman was the music director of choice for Dev Anand movies; so much so that Burman da used to proudly day that his middle name Dev is actually the name of his favourite hero Dev Anand!

Can you guess why am I so excited tonight. We are going chronologically with Sahir Ludhianvi films and we have come to the 1952 movie Jaal tonight, yet another Guru Dutt movie starring Dev Anand and hence the music has to by SD Burman. By this time, the pairing of Sahir with Sachin was much talked about and acclaimed.

In this movie, they created a song that is immortal. It has been sung by my favourite singer Hemant Kumar and I have goose-pimples everytime I listen to it; the song being my idea of how a perfect song is made.

You will agree with me that Ye raat ye chandini phir kahan stands out just as moon amongst stars.

Jaal is a snare or a trap. Dev Anand as Tony Fernandes, a city bred (Bombay) street smart guy wants to ensnare a simple fishing folk woman Geeta Bali as Maria. His attraction is too strong for her to turn down even though she is warned by another woman Lisa that Tony played the same or similar game of love with her too! And then she is warned by a gypsy palm-reader. However, the pull of the love that Tony offers is far too strong.

Now, lets say an ordinary lyricist had to come up with these emotions on a guitar based song; what would he do? And then you think about what Sahir did. Well, Sahir did what he did 13 years later in movie Kaajal: he created a memorable song making the trap look so fascinating, viz: Ek baar chal diye gar tujhe pukaar ke, laut kar na aayenge kaafile bahaar ke. Outstanding! Here is what he did in Kaajal song: Achhon ko bura saabit karna, duniya ki puraani aadat hai! It must be the best song ever written for a man in villanous role!

And now think of what Sachin Dev Burman does to the lyrics. Sachin was the best to make it look like as if a song is based on Raagas. He did it with several including Deewana mastaana hua dil jaane kahan hoke bahaar aayi for Bambai Ka Babu. But here, he had to think of a raaga that would reflect the fishermen folks simple ways. And what better raaga than Raag Kaafi that has direct connection with the folk music of India! Sheer genius there.

And finally, who should sing it? Well, what you want to do with the song is for Maria (Geeta Bali) not to be able to resist the pull of her lover singing. You have night, you have moon, you have breeze…..and you require a singer to build up this atmosphere. You don’t have to think twice; it has to be Hemant Kumar. So much so that when he sings: Jaati baharen hain uthati jawaniya, taaron ki chhayon mein keh le kahaniyan……you feel someone is painting the scene for you!

Ladies and gentlemen, great songs ain’t an accident. So many things go into them to make them emerge great.

Please enjoy the greatest song of Hemant Kumar and one of the greatest of the pair of Sahir Ludhianvi and Sachin DEV Burman: Ye raat ye chandini phir kahan, sun ja dil ki daastan….

The 1953 movie Shole (that’s how it was spelt that time) came 22 years before the 1975 movie Sholay starring Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini and Jaya Bahaduri; both the heroes married the heroines in later life! That’s what Sholay can do to you!

Anyway, in the 1953 movie Shole, cinders of passion were between Ashok Kumar and Bina Rai. There were six songs in the movie, with two of them having been sung in different versions twice in the movie. Out of these eight, Sahir penned only one and it was composed by Dhaniram and sung by Geeta Dutt after Hemant Kumar puts her on the track.

(Poster courtesy: Saavn)

This was the song and the theme was the same as the last Jaal song: ye mausam ye hawaye ye rut suhani fir na aayegi.

Please listen to this song that reminds you of a signature tune perfected by the pair by now: Koi raag chhed dabi aag chhed (Also remember that to use the word raag is something unique with Sahir. Even in the Jaal’s ye raat ye chandini song he says: Lehron ke honthon pe dheema dheema raag hai):

Sahir penned the songs, he was back with SD Burman’s “favourite” hero Dev Anand. And the heroine opposite Dev Anand was Madhubala. I am talking about the 1953 movie Armaan that was directed by Fali Mistry.

There were as many as nine songs in the movie; Talat Mahmood and Manna Dey sang for Dev Anand and Asha Bhosle and Geeta Dutt sang for Madhubala.

Next film, his first film of 1954, had to have Sachin Dev Burman composing his songs. Why? Simply because it was a Dev Anand movie directed by his brother Chetan Anand for their company Navketan Films. Kalpana Karthik, who was to secretly marry Dev Anand during the making of this movie, acted opposite him.

Here is from Wikipedia: “Dev Anand’s taxi in the movie was the British made Hillman Minx black car with number 1111. Such became the popularity following the film that the British made Hillman Minx became a vehicle of choice as a taxi in Bombay until the 1970s”.

The last movie of his whose song I gave you was the Dev Anand starrer Taxi Driver. Talat Mahmood sang for him: Jaayen to jaayen kahan.

Savdhaan is not just a fauji command to come to attention but also the name of this 1954 movie directed by Dutta Dharmadhikari and starring Motilal and Shyama; yes, ladies and gentlemen, the Aar Paar girl Shyama who had Geeta Dutt sing for her Jaa jaa jaa jaa bewafa (Sun sun sun sun zalima).

Sahir penned the songs of the movie and Vasant Ramachandra composed them; there was one composed by Vasant Desai too: Mohabbat ki nazar jab meharbaan malum.

Even as early as in 1954 Sahir and SD Burman knew that on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne we are going to usher in 2017 by having a Fest on Krishna songs. Hence, both of them got together again after a small break in the last Motilal, Shyama movie and made as many as ten songs for Radha Krishna.

(Poster courtesy: cinematerial.com)

Krishna is my all time favourite. Radha’s name always precedes her whenever both names are together and so it was in this 1954 Raja Nene movie starring Kamini Kaushal and Ratan Kumar.

All ten songs have been sung by females: mostly Lata Mangeshkar and some by Asha Bhosle and Geeta Dutt:

His next movie, the 1954 KB Lal movie Angarey also had ten songs but there is no similarity with Radha Krishna. First of all, all ten songs were penned by Sahir and secondly he was once again back with SD Burman.

The movie starred Nargis and Nasir Khan, one of those movies in which Nargis too took a short break from acting with Raj Kapoor.

If you all feel that for the last many movies he didn’t write a song that was hit or popular, then you will know that it is going to be remedied with his next movie, which is none other than Bimal Roy’s Devdas with Dilip Kumar in the title role, Vyjayanthimala as the hooker Chandramukhi and Suchitra Sen as Parvati or Paro.

I shall start with a favourite song of mine (I have given this as an example of Vyjayanthimala’s superb dancing) that is not really a dance-song but she breaks into slow, beautiful, elegant dancing whilst talking to him and wanting him to stay. It is superb.

You would agree with me that the last song from 1955 Bimal Roy movie Devdas was as full of beautiful lyrics as was its composition and picturisation.

Vyjayanthimala and Dilip Kumar in a scene in Devdas (Pic courtesy: indiatimes.in)

It is very easy to guess what number from the movie I am giving you next. Once again it is a Lata Mangeshkar number picturised on Vyjayanthimala.

Guess what? Nargis was offered the role of Chandramukhi by Bimal Roy but she wanted the role of Parvati or Paro, thinking of that as the lead role. The best of the songs in the movie and the best play of emotions, if you recall the story, were, however, picturised on Chandramukhi and Vyjayanthimala gratefully bagged the role.

Vyjayanthimala in this dance (this is indeed a dance number) is simply rhythem in motion. Those huge saucer eyes are always part of her dance mudras. There would never be a dancer like her.

The 1955 Bimal Roy movie Devdas whose songs I started giving you yesterday had songs that one would want to listen to all the time. It is not for nothing that in 2005 Indiatimes Movies ranked the film amongst 25 Must See Movies of all times.

Bimal Roy, the director of some of the best Hindi movies (Pic courtesy: http://media2.intoday.in)

Bimal Roy was awarded Ceritificate of Merit for the Third Best Feature Film at the National Fim Awards. At the Filmfare Awards, Dilip Kumar won the Best Actor Award, Motilal as the Best Supporting Actor in his role as Chunni Babu, and Vyjayanthimala as the Best Supporting Actress as Chandramukhi. Vyjayanthimala declined to accept the award as she felt that she should have been considered for Best Actress as her role was equivalent of Parvati played by Suchitra Sen. Hindi films hadn’t accepted the idea of two heroines in the same movie!

I would like to give you all the songs of the movies since I have fond memories of listening to them in my young days.

However, I end with this Talat Mahmood song that has always played in the depths of my mind whenever I am alone, lonely and sad.

It is a perfect sad song in many different ways: lyrics, composition, rendition and picturisation and this experience is waiting for you by a click. I have found for you the original sound-track of the song together with its dialogues. You will have to ignore the poor audo quality.

In the next movie of 1955, a MK Burman movie called House No. 44, Sahir and Sachin da were back making songs for Dev Anand as they did for those enchanting numbers of Jaal, three years ago.

House No. 44 had Kalpana Kartik opposite Dev Anand and had two lovable waltzing numbers: Phaili hui hain sapno ki raahen, and Chup hai dharti chup hain chaand sitare, one each for the heroine and the hero.

Mohammad Rafi too sang for Dev Anand, for example in Guide. However, the most adorable songs of Dev Anand have been sung by Hemant Kumar. This movie had quite a few of those including Teri duniya mein jeene se to behtar hai ke mar jaayen.

Lets start with Chup hai dharti, one of my favourites. It is another thing that the story line had no need for a song there, just as in Patita, the favourite number Yaad Kiya Dil Ne was forced to be there. But, then, Hindi movies were known more for their music and songs than for any excellence of screenplay and story.

In the last song tonight, I am not going to give you the waltzing number sung by Lata Mangeshkar for Kalpana Kartik for the 1955 movie House No. 44; but, I am going to take you to this song whose lyrics give the impression of being a sad number and whose tune, especially the interludes make it look like as if it is light-hearted comedy!

Yes, I am talking about: Teri duniya mein jeene se sung by Hemant Kumar. Perhaps the intended scenario is an in-between the two feelings: that is, a humorous acceptance of the deplorable condition of indigence that Dev Anand finds himself.

There is a situation here similar to Dev Anand’s another movie: Kaala Pani in which whilst singing, in a railway compartment (he occupied the lower berth in First Class), the song: Apni to har aah ek toofan hai, he adds: Ooper wala jaan kar anjaan hai. Here Ooper wala can be taken as God as well as the heroine Waheeda Rehman (in the upper berth). That song also had SD Burman’s composition but Shailendra’s lyrics.

Here in this song from House No. 44, Dev Anand uses the word ‘Teri Duniya‘ both for God and Kalpana Kartik.

We are paying a tribute to our fourth great lyricist: Sahir Ludhianvi. Before we broke off on 9th Jan, we took up two songs from the 1955 movie: House No. 44 starring Dev Anand and Kalpana Kartik. We took up a waltzing number: Chup hai dharti chup hain chand sitaare, and another beautiful number Teri duniya mein jeene se to behtar hai ke mar jaayen.

We are ready to proceed further. At this stage I give you the other waltzing number from the movie but this time sung by Lata Mangeshakar.

1955 was a very busy year for Sahir Ludhianvi. His songs with SD Burman were making waves and he was much in demand. Just before Sahir we took up Kaifi Azmi as lyricist. Kaifi would write lyrics of one or two movies in a year. In 1955, on the other hand, Sahir penned songs for as many as nine movies.

After Devdas and House No. 44, his next movie was Joru Ka Bhai. It was a Chetan Anand movie starring Vijay Anand, Kumkum, Balraj Sahni and Sheila Ramani.

Sahir’s songs, in this movie, were composed by Jaidev.

Music Director Jaidev

He wrote only two of them whilst Vishwamitra Adil penned the remaining eight. Following is the list:

For the last song of this evening, I take you to his next movie in 1955: GP Sippy movie Marine Drive. It was indeed the first movie of GP Sippy under his production house Sippy Films. The main cast of the film was Ajit and Bina Rai.

About me

I have done a long stint in the Indian Navy that lasted for nearly thirty seven years; I rose as far as my somewhat rebellious and irreverant nature allowed me to. On retirement, in Feb 2010, the first thing that occured to me, and those around me, was that I Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (you will find an article with this title in this blog) and hadn't lost all my noodles and hence thought of a blog titled 'This 'n That'. I later realised that every third blog is called 'This 'n That' and changed the name to 'Sunbyanyname'.
I detest treading the beaten track. This blog offers me to air 'another way' of looking at things. The idea is not just to entertain but also to bring about a change. Should you feel differently, you are free to leave your comments. You can leave comments even when you agree and want to share your own experience about the topic of the blog post.
Impudent or otherwise, I have never been insousciant and I am always concerned about the betterment of community, nation and the world. I hope the visitors of this blog would be able to discern it.